Water Circulation

System
Contents of Presentation
Theory of circulation
Types of circulation
Economizer
Water walls
Drum and its internals
Circulation in Boiler
The steam generator has to produce steam at highest
purity, and at high pressure and temperature required for the
turbine.
.Water must flow through the heat absorption surface of the
boiler in order that it may be evaporated into steam .
Natural circulation is the ability of water to circulate
continuously, with gravity and changes in temperature being
the only driving force known as "thermal head.




Because the density of the cold water is greater, it descends in the 'downcomer'
towards the lower bottom ring header, displacing the warmer water up into the
front tubes.


The ratio of the weight of water to the weight of steam in the
mixture is called Circulation Ratio.






Criticality of Drum Level control
Boiler drum level control is critical for both plant protection
and equipment safety and applies equally to high and low
levels of water within the boiler drum.
The purpose of the drum level controller is to bring the drum
up to level at boiler start-up and maintain the level at constant
steam load.
A dramatic decrease in this level may uncover boiler tubes,
allowing them to become overheated and damaged.
An increase in this level may interfere with the process of
separating moisture from steam within the drum,
Forced Circulation
However, when the pressure in the
water-tube boiler is increased, the
difference between the densities of the
water and saturated steam falls,
consequently less circulation occurs.
To keep the same level of steam
output at higher design pressures, the
distance between the Bottom ring
header and the steam drum must be
increased, or some means of forced
circulation must be introduced.
Therefore natural circulation is limited
to boiler with drum operating pressure
around 175 Kg/cm2.
Natural Circulation & Forced
Circulation
Natural Circulation
The downcomer contain relatively
cold water, whereas the riser tube
contain steam water mixture ,whose
density is comparitively less .this
density difference is the driving force
,for the mixture. (thermo-siphon
principle)
Circulation takes place at such a high
rate that the driving force and
frictional resisitance in water wall are
balanced.

Natural Circulation Forced Circulation
Forced Circulation
Beyond 180 Kg/cm2 of pressure, circulation is to be assisted with
mechanical pumps, to overcome frictional losses. To regulate the flow
through various tubes, orifice plates are used. This system is applicable in
the high sub-critical regions (say 200 Kg/cm2).
Economizer
Boiler Economizer are feed-water heaters in which the heat
from waste gases is recovered to raise the temperature of
feed-water supplied to the boiler.
Economizer
The economizer preheats the feed water by utilizing the residual heat of the flue gas.
It reduces the exhaust gas temperature and saves the fuel.
Modern power plants use steel-tube-type economizers.
Design Configuration: divided into several sections : 0.6 0.8 m gap
Finned Economizers
Advantages of Economizer
6
o
C raise in feed water
temperature, by economizers
corresponds to a
1% saving in fuel consumption
22
0
C reduction in flue gas
temperature increases boiler
efficiency by 1%
Boiler Drum

It is an enclosed Pressure
Vessel
Heat generated by
Combustion of Fuel is
transferred to water to
become steam
Process: Evaporation

Steam volume increases to 1,600
times from water and produces
tremendous force
DRUM Lifting in progress
DRUM SERVES TWO MAIN
FUNCTIONS


SEPERATING STEAM FROM THE
MIXTURE OF WATER AND STEAM

IT HOUSES ALL EQUIPMENTS USED FOR
PURIFICATION OF THE STEAM AFTER
BEING SEPERATED FROM THE WATER
Downcomers
There are six down comers which carry
water from boiler drum to the ring header.
They are installed from outside the furnace to
keep density difference for natural circulation
of water & steam.
WATER
WALLS

Heating and evaporating the feed water supplied to the boiler from the
economisers.

These are vertical tubes connected at the top and bottom to the
headers.

These tubes receive water from the boiler drum by means of
downcomers connected between drum and water walls lower header.

Approximately 50% of the heat released by the combustion of the fuel in
the furnace is absorbed by the water walls.

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